This week,without fanfare, James Sommerville gave his final performances at Symphony Hall as principal horn.
Somerville, 60, has held the principal horn position since 1998 and is the dedicatee of Elliott Carter’s 2006 horn concerto.
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A wonderful career, to be sure, but did he give a reason for leaving in the middle of the season?
Dystonia, according to a friend in the orchestra…
His playing was showing a fair amount of instability in some of the streamed concerts last year, notably the Bruckner 4. He appeared to have a quiver that had developed on notes in much of the midrange, and seemed unable to sustain a steady note at times in that register. While he wasn’t missing notes outright to any great extent, it was clear that he was having difficulties. The most recent stream, of his last series with the orchestra, is somewhat better. It’s sad to see this happen, but at least it comes after a fairly long, respectable career; others have had this happen much earlier in their careers, such as Alex Klein and Geralyn Coticone.
Dystonia also cut short the playing careers of principal tuba Warren Deck and principal trumpet Philip Smith in New York. Both have gone on to wonderfully impactful teaching careers and Phil continues to work hard at getting back (he sounds better and better all the time).
Geralyn Coticone was a wonderful piccolo player and musician. She was a college classmate of mine in Boston.
It’s great that, unlike some others, he didn’t feel the need to hang on too long and has gone, presumably, at a time and in a manner of his own choosing.
Heard him many times at Tanglewood 25 years ago and I can still hear his ethereal tone floating out over the orchestra. He is probably the most under-rated horn player in the US. Great tone, flawless musicianship. Thank you for all the great memories!
The Boston media, however, have been treating him like a local hero.
Orchestral players are a prime example of musicians who may not be international stars, but whose skills can have few equals and no superiors.
And so, Boston joins the NY Phil and one other major US orchestra (Atlanta?) in a search for a new principal horn.
Dallas, also
As well as Dallas and Baltimore.
And Detroit.
And Chicago, I hear
What is your source regarding Chicago?
Are you sure? He gave his final performance with the Boston Symphony Chamber Players but I doubt that he is leaving the BSO before the end of the 22/23 season.
Actually he wasn´t there for most of the last(Corona afflicted) season.He subbed with the Auckland Philharmonia.
The BSO website also posted pictures of his last BSO performances recently.
a slight correction. Their Facebook page posted pictures of his last concert series in Symphony Hall. He is still playing the tour to Japan.
Great guy, great musician!
i always liked Gus Sebring´s playing and sound so much more…..He is one of the greatest french horn players,even at 66
I have a Sebring story about the Britten Serenade. He was playing it with one of the local community orchestras and the tenor soloist was to be my former voice teacher; I was playing in the viola section. Due to incorrect communication, the tenor did not show for a rehearsal and Sebring said (understandably) that it really wasn’t working for him to play alone, so the conductor gave me that “you know you want to; get to it!” look. I got up and stood with him and said “I’m really a baritone…” to which he replied “I’m really a trumpeter. Let’s get to work!”
I have never heard a hornist ask for the Hymn movement FASTER, but he played it flawlessly every time.
You have your wish-he was named Principal in April 2023.
Wow. It seems like yesterday that he succeeded Charles Kavalovsky.
I was on a months Canadian tour in 1998 with The European Union Chamber Orchestra and during a live broadcast from Toronto, with Jaime as horn soloist, it was announced by the radio announcer in a most excited voice that the Canadian soloist had literally just heard of his appointment as Principal Horn in the BSO. Jaime was very friendly with my horn colleague Mark Paine and myself, both of us from the UK and he played Mozart 4 beautifully.
A very nice man and superb artist. May he enjoy his well earned retirement.
With the new audition, perhaps a chance for the orchestra to have more than one woman in the brass section.
. . . if she’s the winner of the blind audition, then that might very well happen.
If a woman actually proves to be the best player. The good news is that that is nearing a 50% chance nowadays. Let us hope that it fully arrives soon.
Richard Sebring was named Principal Horn of the BSO in April 2023. He had been Associate Principal & Principal of the Boston Pops since 1982 (he joined the BSO in 1981).